QR codes for your Airbnb: what to put up, and where
A QR code in the right spot answers a question before the guest has to ask it. Here is which codes are worth printing, where they go, and how to avoid reprinting them every time something changes.
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The decision that matters: what the code points at
A QR code either holds the information itself, or holds a link to a page. That one difference decides whether you'll be reprinting it.
- Information in the code. A Wi-Fi code holds the network name and password, which is why the phone can join without opening anything. Change the password and the printed code is wrong.
- A link to a page you can edit. The code never changes; the page behind it does. Update the house manual or swap a restaurant, and the code on the fridge shows the new version.
The practical rule: put one code that opens your whole guidebook where everyone will see it. Add a direct Wi-Fi or review code only where skipping a step is worth reprinting it now and then.
The QR codes worth printing
| Code | What a scan does | Where to put it |
|---|---|---|
| Guidebook (portal) | Opens the whole guide: Wi-Fi, house manual, local tips, emergency numbers. | Fridge, entrance, or a card on the table. |
| Wi-Fi | Offers to join the network straight away. | By the router, the entrance, or the desk. |
| House manual | Opens the how-tos for the appliances. | Inside a kitchen cupboard, by the washing machine. |
| Local recommendations | Opens your list of places nearby. | A folded card on the table, or by the door. |
| Shop the stay | Opens the things in your place guests can buy for themselves. | On or next to the items: the coffee machine, the sofa. |
| Emergency contacts | Opens local emergency numbers and yours. | By the entrance, or inside a kitchen cupboard door. |
| Review | Opens your Google review page. | By the door, where guests see it as they leave. |
In Guestate, every property has a portal code, and each tool you add gets its own code too. The Wi-Fi and review codes point straight at the network and the review page; every other code opens a page you can edit.
How a Wi-Fi QR code works
A Wi-Fi code stores the network in a standard format: WIFI:T:WPA;S:network;P:password;; The phone camera recognises it and offers to join, with no typing. It also works for hidden networks, as long as the code says the network is hidden.
Because the password is inside the code, print a new one when you change it. Your guidebook's Wi-Fi page, opened from the portal code, shows the current password with a copy button, so guests are covered either way.
A QR code for reviews
Google Business Profile gives you a link that opens your review form directly, and a QR code for it: in your Business Profile, go to Read reviews, then Get more reviews (Google Business Profile Help). Put it where guests see it at the end of the stay, by the door, rather than on arrival.
Don't offer anything in return for a review. Airbnb reviews come through Airbnb's own flow after checkout, so a code like this is for your Google profile or another site you collect reviews on.
Printing tips
- Print at 100%. A print dialog set to “fit to page” can shrink a code below an easy scanning size.
- Keep the contrast high. A dark code on a light background scans best.
- Avoid glare. Matte paper or a matte laminate pouch is easier to scan under a ceiling light than gloss.
- Test before you stick it up. Scan it with two different phones, from where a guest would stand.
- Say what it's for. “Scan to connect” or “Scan for local tips” next to the code gets far more use than a code on its own.
Guestate gives you each code as a print-ready card in 8 designs, with a label that says what a scan does. Download it as an image, or as an A4 PDF that prints the card at 100mm wide when you print at 100%.
Make your codes
Add your property in Guestate, fill in the tools you want, and download the codes from the dashboard. Not sure what to put behind them? See our digital guidebook guide or tap through an example.
Questions hosts ask
Do guests need an app to scan a QR code?
No. The camera app on current iPhones and Android phones reads QR codes; the guest points the camera at the code and taps the link that appears.
What happens to my codes if I change the Wi-Fi password?
Your portal code and every other tool's code keep working: they open a page, and you edit the page. A stand-alone Wi-Fi code is different, because the password is inside the code itself, so reprint that one.
Can I see how many guests scan my code?
Guestate counts page opens and taps rather than "scans", because a printed code can't report a scan; only the page it opens can. Codes that skip the page, like the stand-alone Wi-Fi and review codes, aren't counted.
Is asking for a review with a QR code allowed?
Pointing guests to your Google Business Profile review page is a normal use of Google's own review link. Don't offer anything in return for a review. Airbnb reviews come through Airbnb's own flow after checkout.